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Amber Kispert-Smith

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Amber Kispert-Smith has been the schools and Afton reporter at the Woodbury Bulletin since 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota. She previously worked as a reporter for Press Publications in White Bear Lake.

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It was standing room only at the June 1 meeting of the Afton Planning Commission for the public hearing on the conditional use permit for the proposed Afton Center. By meeting's end, the commission decided to recommend denial of the CUP to the Afton City Council. The hearing had plenty of people scratching their heads because the project is presently in court with the city. "Currently being in litigation, do we really need to spend time on this?" Afton resident Rich Meyers asked.

The Afton City Council has to wait a little longer before its lawsuit with FOC, LLC and Atomic Properties fades from the horizon. At the June 1 meeting of the Afton Planning Commission, commissioners reviewed ordinances that had to be approved in order for the settlement agreement with FOC, LLC and Atomic Properties to go into effect. Ultimately, the planning commission decided to recommend denial of the amendments to the city council.

Third grade classes at Woodbury Elementary showed off their acting and music skills, as well as their cooking skills, during the productions of the mini-musical "Stone Soup" May 28 to June 2. Stone Soup tells the tale of three travelers who are tired and hungry, and who happen upon an old woman and her grandchildren. The travelers ask the woman for some food, but she is hesitant at first to share her food.

The Cedar's Bluff saga in Afton has finally come to an end. On May 26 the Afton City Council directed staff to revise the development agreement for approval at their June meeting. "My goal all along here was to do what is right and not push beyond what is allowable," Cedar's Bluff developer Len Pratt said. "I'm concerned with the preservation of Afton's historic character." The Cedar's Bluff Homestead, Afton's first housing development, was approved in 2006. Over the last two years, the development has hit a few road blocks.

After a year's worth of assignments, tests and activities, students will be racing out the doors this week for that much-anticipated time of year -- summer. Instead of a classroom, there will be the local beach. Instead of cafeteria food there will be barbeques and ice cream. Instead of school buses, there will be boats and bicycles. And for the graduating seniors, summer will mark the next chapter of their lives. The end of the school year also marks the end of the familiar since District 833 will be undergoing a series of changes next year.

Afton city attorney Fritz Knaak may have his work cut out for him in Afton, but there is another case currently commanding his attention -- Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount. Knaak, of the law firm Knaak and Kantrud PA, and a Vadnais Heights resident, is one of several attorneys working on Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's case against Democratic contender Al Franken. Both Coleman's and Franken's points of view are scheduled to be heard in the Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday, June 1. "It's about as important of a case that will be heard in the Supreme Court," Knaak said.

Sixth grade students at Valley Crossing Community School looked to the future on May 18 when they talked with seventh grade students at Oak-land Junior High School in Stillwater about what they can expect next year. During the question and answer session, students were able to speak over Skype, or video chat, about all of their fears and questions about moving to a new school.

If you ask anyone what some of their best high school memories were, the majority will probably answer Prom or another type of formal dance. Prom is a tradition that everyone should be able to enjoy, and that doesn't exclude those with disabilities. Woodbury High School will be hosting it's first ever "semi-formal," for students with Developmental Cognitive Disorder, or other types disabilities. "It brings out a different side of them because they finally get to be dressed up and to do things that they wouldn't get to do on a normal basis," senior and coordinator Alexis Swanson said.

May is almost coming to a close and that means only one thing for Afton residents -- May Fair is almost here. Every year, hundreds of people come out for the annual event that celebrates everything great about spring and summer. The 17th Annual Afton May Fair will be May 30 and 31 in Afton's Town Square. A variety of events and activities will be taking place. You can stop by the May Fair to peruse the many art vendors on display, or you can enter your family's pie recipe into the pie contest and listen to live music.

Kyle Goetz was just one year-old when his father Kirk was diagnosed in 2000 with plasmacytomas, a type of multiple myeloma cancer. "I kinda got scared the first time my dad had cancer because I didn't know if it was the bad kind of cancer or the one that the doctor's have everything in control and stuff," the now-10-year-old said. "But then mom and dad kept telling me everything is going to be OK, and it was." That wasn't the last sign of cancer for Kirk, though -- he was diagnosed two additional times, once in 2005 and again in 2008.